The rich, dark chocolate is a favourite
A world without chocolate is unreal. We need chocolate, and lots of it, for every depressing and celebratory occasion. Every fight, break up and bad work day is incomplete without a big bite into a bar of rich, dark chocolate. But our chocoholic bubble was recently busted when a top notch chocolate producer revealed some heart breaking facts about the most loved ingredient. And, since then we’ve been having sleepless nights. But worry not, we found a substitute.
Why we need more options:
Sometime last week, one of the major chocolate producers in the market revealed that cocoa will soon be a sweet dream. This is because, the demand for good quality cocoa has been so high that the world has been consuming way more than the production limit. Research says there will be a global shortage by 2020.
We truly dread that day. Imagine life without chocolate? Wouldn’t it be flavourless, colourless and depressing? And how would we celebrate Valentine’s Day? With gajar ka halwa or ras malai, may be! And, what about that urge of gulping a few pieces all at once or licking it off your lover? Well we’ll have to find alternatives for that as well. But as of now, we are thinking of ways to keep the flavour of cocoa alive cause we cannot fathom what desserts, ice creams and brownies will taste like without chocolate.
And just like petrol and water, we want to save for our future generations the rich experience of devouring dark chocolate and luscious texture of a milky chocolate.
Chocolate Substitutes:
A chocolate-less world is a myth! So, we began to look for alternatives that’ll retain the flavour-rich taste of the ingredient if the need arises.
While looking out for a similar ingredient, we came across something called as carob. Carob is nothing like chocolate. But it can give a good illusion of the ingredient and will keep chocolate lovers pretty happy. A natural sweetener, carob is a low fat ingredient that’s high in fiber, calcium and has no caffeine at all.
Available in powder form, carob when mixed with other ingredients, gives a similar taste like that of good old chocolate.
A little more research tells us that carob trees are grown in the Mediterranean region and the nuts of this plant are used just like cocoa. Carob is a healthier option too with a more fruity flavour and no bitterness at all. While some may detest it, others may be thankful for the discovery of this marvellous ingredient.
Replace:
Since we are already picturing a chocolate-less world, we are actively looking for ingredients that’ll enhance the taste of a dish just like chocolate does. We figured replacing chocolate will not be easy, but isn’t very difficult too.
We learnt that chocolate can be easily substituted with a fruit in any recipe. Ripe bananas are great for texture while strawberries are sweet and give good flavour. Mangos, grapes and even peanuts in certain recipes will turn out will. All you need to do is re-invent and find your niche.
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